Teaching makes me so tired. Some days, I’m so exhausted by 1:30 that I don’t know if I’ll make it the rest of the day. But I do. I’m not doing any heavy lifting — nah, nothing fun like that. No, my brain has been differentiating, counseling, instructing, herding cats (my students, of course), nagging, reading and writing. Phew…I’m tired all over again!
So on days like this, I need a little pick-me-up. TV? No. Exercise? I wish! Nope…I think about my little children in a Proms & Potties episode!!1
Proms 
Okay, well, Jake is a junior in college and doing well. He’s all on his own — except he refuses to try to find a job. But…he’s finding free things to do, mooching off his friends, and living on the measly $100 I give him each month. But he wants to leave me. Yep, he called last week to say that he wants to study abroad (cue the crude “I-hope-she’s-cute” joke). First, it was South Africa; then, Ireland; my favorite, New Zealand; settled on London. Yes, I’ll let him go–that’s my job. But I’ll cry and worry every day. Wonder if he’ll call or forget his raincoat. What if he doesn’t meet any friends? Or what if he gets mugged? Or worse, what if he gets a job, loves it, and gets an offer to move there. Can I be a separate-continent kind of mommy?
Just like Jake, Lily has started leaving me. We went to the bookstore a few days ago, and the LilyBelle said she had to go to the bathroom. I told her to wait because I had just sat down…and SHE SAID, “I’LL GO BY MYSELF”!!! Yep, I couldn’t believe it either. After the go-to-the-bathroom-by-myself incident, she spent the night with our next-door neighbor. Then, I had to take her to a basketball game with me (I had gate-duty); Lily sat
with some of my students, found a friend she knows, and proceeded to run around for an hour meeting new people, seeing one of her teachers, and hugging on the teachers I work with. I didn’t see her for the two hours I was taking up money.
So…even though I’m brain-dead practically from teaching all day, my sweet, sweet babies always give me much more to think about. I can deal with it. Hopefully!! 
February 19, 2013 at 9:21 pm
So nice to read a prom/potties story again. Studying abroad? That’s a tough one. But if he does stay (he won’t) you would have a place to visit. Wow! A little Miss Independent, way to go Lily!
February 19, 2013 at 9:43 pm
Both of mine survived their study abroad and we managed to visit them at the end. But it is hard to see them go. It’s great that Lily will be there to keep you company while Jake is abroad.
February 19, 2013 at 10:34 pm
How you weave together all the pieces of your life so seamlessly, so powerfully. I love it.
February 20, 2013 at 5:44 pm
I love the herding cats line…I do that too, and I’m tired by 1:30. My Jake is Jeff and he left to go to Galapagos and England and to the Bahamas and yep he wanted to leave me and alas, he did…Colorado. I hope I can visit this summer. My other baby is in South America, I never thought this would be my life. Your writing is so wonderful, I can totally visualize. xo